The Pouchling Warrior of Narn
by Bearthsong
Summary: It is the year 2207-during the time of the Centauri Occupation of Narn. Rai'ko and his family are forced to work on the Charisa Family Spoo Ranch because the mother, Na'Laq, is too ill to travel far. The Centauri Master, Arkonn, is becoming more ruthless as tensions mount between Narns and Centauris. Young Rai'ko dreams of joining the Freedom Fighters of the Narn Resistance.
1. Leaving the Shelter

4

 _ **The Pouchling Warrior of Narn**_

 _ **(A Fan-Fiction Story based upon the T.V. series, "Babylon 5", created by J. Michael Straczynski)**_

 _ **Chapter One: Leaving the Shelter**_

 ** _The year is 2207...the name of the Occupied Planet is Narn, the home-world of a once-peaceful agrarian species of reptilian marsupials who are also known as the Narn. The Centauri Republic has enslaved the Narn people and has been ruling their world for over a century; and now, tensions between the two species are rising as the Narn Resistance grows stronger and more determined with each passing day to regain their freedom and drive the Centauri from the planet forever..._**

Ilan-Rai'ko pressed himself against his mother, Na'Laq, and she held him close. Little Rai'ko, as his family called him, wanted to crawl into Na'Laq's pouch, but he knew he was too old a pouchling to do such a cowardly thing. At six years of age, Rai'ko knew that he was expected to be brave. But the terrifying sound of the crashing bombs outside frightened even Rai'ko the Courageous. His eleven-year-old brother, Lor'Oko, attempted a humorous song for him, but the sound of the bombs was becoming so loud that even Lor'Oko had to give up. Na'Laq put her arm around the white-spotted Lor'Oko and pressed herself against her mate, G'Quarn. Was this finally to be the end of the Narn family and their community—perhaps even their world?

Little Rai'ko had grown up in one bomb shelter after another, ever since their enemies, the Centauris, had declared war on them. The Narn people had begun to rebel against the slavery that was imposed upon them by their Centauri Masters; and the Emperor of Centauri Prime had decided that the people of Narn needed to be taught a lesson. And so, he sent Centauri war cruisers to drop bombs on the civilian population.

The individual bombing sessions did not last long. Each attack would be perhaps ten to fifteen minutes in duration, and yet would seem to Rai'ko and his family to go on forever. This was how it went, day after day, week after week. They would sit about in the shelter singing, playing games, cooking and eating their rations for the day, and listening to stories by the elders.

Then one day, it ended. The family was free at last to come out of hiding, but Na'Laq was ill. She had contracted an illness of some kind which would come and go. While the bombs were falling, the mysterious disease had gone into remission. As soon as they were able to leave the underground shelter, however, the disease reared its ugly head once again.

"I fear that we will again have to deal with _The Riala,"_ she fretted, "Where else will we go? We must return to the Charisa Spoo Ranch and continue our work there. If we do not, Riala Arkonn will hunt us down and feed us to his pet Rock-Cats."

"Then we will be free in the bellies of Rock-Cats, Na'Nokai Na'Laq!" Rai'ko cried out, "I do not want to go back and be the slaves of the Centauri Masters! I prefer the underground shelters to that life, even if it _is_ darker down there."

"Rai'ko!" Na'Laq scolded him, "You must never prefer the darkness to the light. Remember that, my son. We can _never_ be free while we are holed up underground. The Narn must always come out into the light of day, no matter the consequences."

Rai'ko growled softly, and his mother swatted him on the rear for his impudence.

"R'Kai G'Quarn!" Rai'ko addressed his elderly father, "Don't you think we should all go and fight with the Freedom Soldiers?"

"I'm sorry, Rai'ko," G'Quarn said to his son, "but we have no other option but to go back to the Charisa family. We have your younger brother Ar'ro to think about, as well as your mother's health. We cannot join the Resistance, for we are too weak to do so. I am an old man, and your mother is ill...it is the way of things. The strong dominate the weak, and the weak must comply or die. I am not ready to let my family die yet, and so I make the only decision that I can."

"It is not fair," grumbled Rai'ko, "The Centauris should not dominate us on _our own world."_

"I know, Rai'ko, but we must treat our Masters with respect while they are here. One day, The Resistance Fighters will force them to leave, but until then we must work their farms to survive."

"I would like to join the Resistance," Rai'ko muttered under his breath, but not softly enough that his mother could miss it.

Na'Laq slapped him across the face furiously.

"Don't you dare speak of that again, Rai'ko," she told him fiercely, "The Masters kill those they suspect of being involved in The Resistance. Don't you go and put all of our lives in danger."

"I am sorry, Na'Nokai," Rai'ko replied meekly, but inside his mind he was thinking of ways to escape the Charisa Spoo Ranch and going to join the Freedom Fighters.

His older brother, Lor'Oko, attempted to interest Rai'ko in a game of "C _hase the Birds",_ but he did not feel like chasing small birds around right now.

"If we catch one, we can eat it, Rai'ko," Lor'Oko whispered to him, "And you can pretend it is a Centauri as you grind its bones with your teeth."

"Don't make me lose my appetite, Lor'Oko," Rai'ko admonished him, "Centauris stink—so how do you think they would taste? I don't even want to let the thought enter my mind."

"I just thought killing a bird would put you in a better mood, is all," Lor'Oko explained, "So you don't have to join that Resistance and get _us_ all killed instead."

"Boys, that's enough talk," G'Quarn scolded them gruffly as they hiked a worn path over the Quelizon Mountain back to the Charisa ranch.


	2. The Charisa Family Spoo Ranch

5

 _ **Chapter Two: The Charisa Family Spoo Ranch**_

" _And so, the lost are found_ ," Arkonn Charisa sniffed disdainfully as G'Quarn led his exhausted family into the front yard of the Charisa Family Spoo Operation Facility, "G'Quarn, I am very disappointed in you and the other Narns for leaving your work in order to hide like cowards from our Brothers' just attack on your world. Really, I should execute you on the spot, but I need workers. All of those lazy Pouch-Bellies have just abandoned us in order to save their own sorry skins. Disgraceful!"

G'Quarn knew better than to "talk back" to the Centauri Master (known to the Narns as _Riala Arkonn),_ and so he simply hung his head and listened to him spew his arrogant vitriol. Rai'ko could barely contain his fury at Riala Arkonn. The Charisa family had certainly abandoned the farm in order to take shelter from the bombs—albeit in a luxury suite aboard one of their orbiting space stations—and so they had no right to criticize the Narns for going to an underground shelter to save themselves.

Rai'ko felt his temper beginning to boil over, but even at his tender age he understood the consequences of berating a Centauri; and so he clenched his teeth and held back the rage. He had learned early on that biting or growling at a Centauri could be fatal. His older brother, Lor'Oko, had needed to protect his little brother and so he had learned how to "jolly" the Centauri Master to stop him from taking his ire out on little Rai'ko.

Rai'ko was referred to by the Centauri as "Ilan", which was his official "slave-name". He hated his Centauri name and insisted on being called "Rai'ko", or "Hot-Tempered One" as his father had proudly named him. His older brother Lor'Oko, or "White-Spotted One", often liked to tell the tale of the day that the infant Rai'ko first emerged from his father's pouch. Lor'Oko had been five years old, and he had been able to hold the tiny pouchling in his hand. He had leaned in too close to Rai'ko's sharp teeth, however, and had been bitten on the nose for his trouble.

"After you bit me on the nose, I just _knew_ you were going to be trouble," Lor'Oko would always end his tale by saying.

Lor'Oko was the one bright spot in Rai'ko's life, besides their father G'Quarn. He also loved his mother, but often clashed with her over issues of obedience. He got along much better with Lor'Oko's mother, Ni'Lon. Ni'Lon, who sported the same star-white spots on her head as her son, was the Chief Cook at the Charisa Ranch; and she had stayed on the farm to brave the bombs while the others hid. She was the only Narn on the whole farm who commanded Riala Arkonn's grudging respect.

As Riala Arkonn finished berating G'Quarn, Ni'Lon came out of the kitchen-house. She was a heavy-set Narn female, and she possessed a warmth which disarmed even the fiercest Centauri Master.

"The meal is almost ready, Riala," Ni'Lon told Arkonn with easy confidence, "So you must stop taunting my Second-Mate...G'Quarn needs time to prepare himself for work."

"Ah, Ni'Lon!" Arkonn greeted her with approval, "You were the only one who stayed to look after things while everyone else hid. And, to their shame...the farm was not even touched by bombs, was it? These fools would have been safer had they remained here. Do you not think so?"

"Well, Riala, you know how we love our children. I wanted to make sure the young ones would be safe, so I told them to go to the shelters. You know you can't really blame them, can you? You fled yourself, and with good reason! Only a fool would stay here to drink tea with bombs...and that fool would be me. I talked to the bombs...every day, I said, ' _Well, bombs, if you come today you must have a cup of tea with me before you kill me'._ And do you know, Riala, that the bombs never came—they were very rude to turn down my invitation!"

Arkonn roared with laughter. "Ni'Lon, you are hilarious!" he said to her, "You are too jolly for bombs or guns. That is why they never touch you."

Ni'Lon artfully guided Riala Arkonn away from the beleaguered Narn family and into his own family home, where she would work for hours cooking, cleaning and entertaining the Charisas with her homey charms and humor.

G'Quarn gratefully moved his family into their old hut. He rarely got to spend time with his Second-Mate, Ni'Lon, because he was always working on Spoo production or caring for his First-Mate, Na'Laq.

G'Quarn's two mates were very close to each other in emotional terms, and referred to one another as "Brood Sisters". Although she was referred to as a "Second-Mate", Ni'Lon had been the first one to birth her son Lor'Oko into G'Quarn's waiting pouch; and five years later, Na'Laq had birthed Rai'ko, followed by Ar'ro four years after that. Lor'Oko was the oldest son because he had been the unintended result of G'Quarn's casual dalliance with Ni'Lon prior to his courting of the beautiful Na'Laq. It was therefore Na'Laq who had become his First-Mate while Ni'Lon eventually agreed to be his second. Their son Lor'Oko had been first born and then pouch-reared by both parents during the subsequent two phases of his infancy, with Na'Laq participating in his upbringing as well. Ni'Lon was likewise a "Second Mother" to Na'Laq's boys, Rai'ko and Ar'ro, once they had been weaned from the pouch. She was quite happy to be G'Quarn's "Second", for it gave her more freedom to do as she pleased—during those rare times when she was not working for the Charisa family.

"Rai'ko, you must care for your mother and little Ar'ro while Lor'Oko and I go to work on the Spoo-Pounding floor," G'Quarn ordered the small boy.

Rai'ko did not object. He would far rather stay in the hut than to pound Spoo worms into a gelatinous liquid, which was used to make the delicacy. He sat on the floor and played with two-year old Ar'ro while Na'Laq rested.

They had only been there for about a half hour before an angry Riala Arkonn stormed in, demanding that they all begin work immediately.

"Na'Laq!" Arkonn cried imperiously, "Get off your lazy backside and get to the Spoo-production vat! I will not permit you to use the excuse of being ill. You are Narn, and you will work until you are dead."

Rai'ko stood in front of Arkonn defiantly, but Na'Laq whisked him out of the way.

"Yes, Riala," Na'Laq replied obediently, gesturing to Ar'ro to jump up on her back. She clutched Rai'ko's hand and dragged him along.

"One moment, please," Arkonn commanded, and Na'Laq stopped, frozen with fear.

"Rai'ko has bared his teeth one too many times," he sneered, "I want him to spend the night in our prison block in order to teach the young lizard some manners."

"What?" Na'Laq stammered, "But, Riala! Rai'ko is only a small boy! Please, don't do this..."

Arkonn grabbed the young Narn by the scruff of the neck and roughly hauled him away; and Rai'ko could hear his mother sobbing as they left her.


	3. Lukkon and Rai'ko

6

 _ **Chapter Three: Lukkon and Rai'ko**_

Rai'ko had spent a sleepless night in a cold, dark cell. He was the only inmate in the prison-block at the moment, and he felt lonelier than he ever had before in his short life.

He wondered listlessly if Arkonn would order him to be executed. It was a chilling thought for a six-year-old, but Rai'ko had long since learned to think like an adult. He needed to think carefully about what he did in order to survive the Riala's wrath. Master Arkonn especially seemed to have grown more ruthless as the Resistance Fighters gained more ground with each passing year.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a sound. He growled slightly before thinking better of it and repressing it. He was growing weary of repressing his natural impulses and feelings in order to soothe the Master's ego, but he truly had no choice. He knew he also had to think about his family members and how his actions would affect them. Every nerve in his body felt as though it were on fire as he anticipated the arrival of Arkonn.

A light was suddenly turned on, and a young Centauri boy stepped out in front of Rai'ko's cell. It was Lukkon Charisa, Arkonn's seven-year-old son.

"Riala Lukkon," Rai'ko greeted him bitterly. He was in no mood for hearing about the privileged Centauri boy's latest flying toy.

Unlike his father, however, Lukkon was never intentionally cruel. He did tend to be somewhat insensitive to Rai'ko's feelings of envy whenever he told the Narn boy about his many wonderful outings and games with his Personal Attendant, a Centauri servant named Andon Rino. Rino's job was, essentially, to keep Lukkon away from his father. Arkonn had little use for his youngest son, and would often berate him as mercilessly as he did the Narns. That was probably why Lukkon liked the Narns so much, Rai'ko realized ruefully; and for some strange reason, Lukkon especially liked Rai'ko, to whom he referred as "Ilan".

"Ilan!" he cried enthusiastically, "I have convinced my Auntie Loala to ask for you to serve in our house. She hates the idea of you spending the night in a prison cell when you are so young."

"Lukkon!" Rai'ko hissed, neglecting to address him by his hated title, _Riala,_ "I've told you, my name is Rai'ko, not Ilan. " _Ilan_ " is my Centauri name, and I will never be a Centauri. And I don't want to serve in your house! I would rather pound Spoo worms forever than to serve a minute in Arkonn's palace."

"But...I could show you my toys, Rai'ko," Lukkon said to him eagerly, switching immediately to his name of choice, "You could even play with them, if you wanted. Toys are no fun when there is no one to share them with."

"I can't be your playmate, Lukkon!" Rai'ko nearly spat, "I would be killed if I was caught by your father playing with your royal toys. Why, I can't even stand in defense of my sick mother without being put in a prison cell. Please thank your aunt, but tell her no...you don't want a dirty Narn in your clean household."

"But that would be a lie!" Lukkon objected, "I don't care about how clean the household is—I want you to be there with me. Arkonn hates me, Rai'ko. He hit me the other night because I was being too loud. He says that if I don't stop acting like a Narn, he's going to make me work like a slave on the Spoo-pounding floor. I told him I want to work with the Narns—then I can hear stories from your father G'Quarn."

"We don't have time for stories when we're working," Rai'ko grumbled, "You don't want to be a Narn, Lukkon. It's no fun, believe me."

"But being a Centauri is boring," Lukkon countered, "There's no one to play with. No one wants to play."

"I wish I could play with you," Rai'ko told him sadly, "But your father will kill me if I do."

"I hate Arkonn," Lukkon agreed angrily, "I wish Andon Rino was my father—he's my servant, but he's also my friend."

The boys' conversation was cut short by the arrival of Lukkon's Aunt Loala. She unlocked the prison cell and let Raiko out.

"Ilan, you are to come with me," Loala commanded him, "Lukkon, you are to attend your lessons with Andon. Go now, and keep out of Arkonn's way...he was drinking again last night and he's in a foul mood this morning."

Lukkon ran off immediately, leaving Rai'ko with the Centauri matron. Rai'ko followed her reluctantly. He did not want to work in the house. Arkonn would be sure to find something wrong with whatever he was doing, and he would imprison him again—if Rai'ko was lucky. If he was not—who knew what Arkonn would do?

Rai'ko forced himself to put it out of his mind. He was led into the house and then into a playroom, which was occupied by two girls. One was Lukkon's older cousin Mella and the other was a Narn girl whom Rai'ko had never seen before.

"Keep him occupied," Loala ordered Mella, "and make sure you stay away from Uncle Arkonn."

Mella nodded. She was combing the back pony-tail of an ornate doll that she was playing with. The Narn girl stood silently behind her, doing nothing. Rai'ko stared at them uncomfortably as Loala left the room. What was he supposed to do with a couple of girls? He wondered why Lukkon did not play with them rather than seeking him out; but he supposed that he wanted another boy to appreciate his miniature remote-controlled space-crafts. Even so, he wished that Lukkon had never asked for him to be brought into the house. He did not like it here because it was far too lavish, and Narns were punished for attempting to enjoy anything that was "beyond their station in life".

He stood by the door, waiting for the Centauri girl to start ordering him around. For the first few minutes, however, she ignored both of the Narn children. Finally, she gestured to the other girl.

"Arel," she told her softly, "Tell Ilan to polish my silver dancers."

"Ilan," Arel said, "Please polish Mella's silver dancers."

Rai'ko seethed with irritation. He wished that he could be back on the Spoo Production floor, or even facing a firing squad—anything but this.

"What are 'silver dancers'?" Rai'ko asked, forcing himself to respond as politely as he could to this spoiled little princess who called him by his hated "Centauri name" of _Ilan._

Mella did not answer him directly, but gestured instead to Arel. The Narn girl then led Rai'ko to a dresser, upon which sat many tiny figurines. Each of them was engaged in a dance of some kind. Rai'ko stared at Arel and grimaced.

"Just clean them," Arel whispered to him, handing him a cloth from her apron, "and don't bare your teeth at any time. You must behave as though you are not even here. Don't address Mella unless she addresses you first."

"Idiotic Broom-Heads," Rai'ko whispered back.

He was referring to the fan-tail hair-do which the male Centauris wore. It sat on their heads like a big crest (Ni'Lon liked to joke about using them as broomsticks to sweep the floor), and the wealthier and more powerful they were the larger the crest. Arkonn wore a huge crest, and Rai'ko thought it looked ridiculous. The bigger the crest on the males, it seemed, the bigger their egos. The women, on the other hand, shaved their heads completely bald as a sign of their greater humility; although some of the younger females kept a lock of hair at the back of their heads for purposes of fashion. Centauri women held far less political power than their arrogant men, and so they tended to be somewhat more understanding of the Narns and their plight—but not always. Rai'ko knew that one could never fully trust one of these hairballs, whether they shaved their hair off or not.

Narns, of course, had no hair anywhere on their bodies. They had only spots and a very large cranium, in addition to retractable claws and a small, spiked tail which they kept folded between their legs most of the time. They reminded the Centauris of "vile" reptiles, even though Narns had a number of mammalian marsupial features as well—such as breasts on females and pouches on males. None of that mattered to the Centauris, of course—they only cared about dominating the Narns.

"Ilan!" Arel scolded him in the Narn language, "You must be careful about what you say. This is The House, and not the Spoo Floor. Behave yourself, or you will get into serious trouble."

Rai'ko squelched a growl and set to work polishing the silver figurines. He was glad to have something to do, at least. Arel returned to her post behind Mella, and stayed there for the remainder of the day. Rai'ko was given nothing to do after he had finished polishing the figurines, and so he polished them over and over again. It was better than having to stand there all day like Arel was doing.

When at last it was time to leave, Loala entered the room and escorted Rai'ko out of it. He and Arel had been given nothing to eat or drink all day long.

"Mistress Loala," he asked as she brought him to the rear entrance of the house, "Can I go back to the Spoo Floor tomorrow?"

"No, Ilan," Loala told him, "you must work in the house now. You will report to the back door of the House tomorrow morning with your father. G'Quarn has been transferred to House Duties because his wrists are becoming stiff and he is showing his age. He worked in a Centauri Household when he was younger, and he knows what needs to be done. He will show you what to do. You are to be taught Centauri manners so that you can be deemed an acceptable House servant...and you _must_ use your Centauri name, Ilan. Do you understand?"

Rai'ko nodded mutely. As he trudged back to his family's hut, he felt his heart sinking. So now both he and his father were going to be working in The House! Rai'ko desperately wanted to return to his prison cell—at least there he could keep his own name.


	4. Uncle Goran's Declaration

8

 _ **Chapter Four: Uncle Goran's Declaration**_

The past three years had not been easy ones for Ilan-Rai'ko's family. Na'Laq had become progressively more ill, but Riala Arkonn insisted that she continue to work at the Spoo vat for hours on end. Ni'Lon believed that Na'Laq had an allergy to Spoo, and that she could be cured by simply staying away from the substance in its raw form. G'Quarn had begged Arkonn to let Na'Laq work in the house instead of him, but he refused.

Loala and Ni'Lon finally managed to convince him that Na'Laq could no longer work, and so she finally received the rest that she needed. She improved somewhat, but not fully. It was as though the raw Spoo had created a by-product of some sort which had affected Na'Laq's body slowly over the years, until it became difficult for her to work with her hands because they shook so badly.

G'Quarn and Ilan-Rai'ko were obliged to look after little Ar'ro, who usually perched on G'Quarn's back while he worked. Ar'ro was an extremely shy and frightened boy who clung desperately to his pouch-father, and so looking after him was not difficult because he never strayed far from G'Quarn. When G'Quarn was called out to serve the dinner, Ni'Lon kept the pouchling with her as she cooked. She showed both Ar'ro and Ilan-Rai'ko how to cook simple meals and she put them both to work chopping vegetables or washing dishes.

Ilan, as he was now known most of the time, had turned nine. He was taking increasing amounts of responsibility in order to help his father. G'Quarn was only fifty years old, but he had the look of one who was thirty years older than that. His gait was slow and unsteady, and his hands shook slightly as Na'Laq's did. Ilan suspected that there was something in the raw, unprocessed Spoo that caused long-term illness, but he did not dare tell Arkonn that. Ilan knew that he would not care anyways. The Narn workers were less than animals as far as he was concerned. In fact, he treated his pet Rock-Cats far better than not only the Narns but his own family as well.

One day, however, a miracle occurred: Arkonn Charisa was obliged to go back to Centauri Prime in order to deal with some "political rivals", and he would be gone for a whole year. Everyone, both Narn and Centauri, secretly rejoiced at the prospect of no longer having to worry about angering Arkonn. The farm would now be under the authority of the Mistress, Arkonn's wife Nolina. Mistress Nolina, everyone knew, would put the day-to-day operation of the Spoo Ranch in the hands of her oldest son Jorrino and his many servants. She hated everything to do with Spoo production, and she wanted to have very little to do with the Narn workers. Jorrino Charisa did not like Narns any better, but neither he nor his mother ever went out of their way to harm them. They left that to Arkonn most of the time. When Jorrino did take charge, he ruled mainly by benign neglect. The Narns would therefore have more freedom to spend time with their families, as long as they behaved well.

With the Master away, Ilan almost came to enjoy his more privileged position amongst the Narn workers as a "House Servant". Every day, he would don his blue and gold velvet jacket and parade by them with a self-satisfied look on his face. He had learned to speak Centauri fluently from the Centauri servants, without the trace of a Narn accent; and he had also been schooled on how to behave in an extremely well-mannered fashion. He could tell that the other Narns resented him for it, but he never went so far as to bully them. He knew that G'Quarn would not stand for such nonsense, as he upbraided his son every time he thought that the boy was becoming "too proud" of himself.

"What's wrong with being proud, R'Kai G'Quarn?" Ilan asked him when they were helping Ni'Lon to prepare the meal one day, "The Centauris certainly don't let _their_ pride worry them."

"I will tell you the story of Tal Quith the Proud, my boy," G'Quarn told him, "Tal Quith believed himself to be above the others because he was more educated in the art of reason; but he learned humility when he went out to teach the People of the Forest what he knew. After many years, he realized that he had learned more from them than they had learned from him. He was chastened, and he asked our Holy Prophet G'Quan for his forgiveness. G'Quan directed him to ask the Forest People for their forgiveness, and thereafter his relations with them improved tenfold."

"I wish we were living back in those days, R'Kai," Ilan replied wistfully, "Then we would have a whole forest to ourselves."

G'Quarn nodded, but said no more. The Centauris had strip-mined most of the natural vegetation from Narn, and much of their world was now dry and desert-like. There were a few fertile strips here and there, and it so happened that the Charisa farm was located on one of those "strips". The vegetation around the Charisa farm had been created artificially, through Centauri "terra-forming" technology. It did not feel like the "real thing" as far as Ilan was concerned.

While Ilan had been learning how to become more "Centauri", Lukkon Charisa had been secretly learning how to be a "Narn." Now that his tyrannical father was away, he would continually pester G'Quarn to tell him "old Narn stories" such as the tale of Tal Quith the Proud. Lukkon ate up his every word, and looked upon G'Quarn with so much respect that his Aunt Loala ordered Andon Rino to limit the time that Lukkon spent with the Narn.

"I'm sorry, G'Quarn," Rino told him, "If it were up to me, I'd let the boy listen to as many stories as he wanted. But you know how Arkonn will be if he comes back and finds his son spouting ancient Narn stories..."

"We'll both be strung up by the feet," G'Quarn said with an ironic chuckle, "I'm sorry, Andon—I suppose I'm making your work a good deal harder than it needs to be."

"You are not the one who makes my work harder, Brother Narn," Rino responded sadly, "Arkonn does not realize the goodness and potential in his own son; and I fear that perhaps he never will."

After that, Ilan did not see as much of Lukkon Charisa. His Aunt Loala made sure of it by giving Ilan more responsibilities. She had noticed that G'Quarn's hands shook somewhat when he served the meals, and so she ordered him to teach his son Ilan how to serve the meals instead. G'Quarn had a great deal of experience in serving Centauris, as he had grown up doing so back in the days when the Narn Resistance was non-existent. He therefore was able to teach Ilan everything he knew, from balancing a number of different dishes on a tray to setting the table properly to serving the family in a prompt and courteous manner. Ilan mastered the art of these tasks very quickly, and he soon took over G'Quarn's serving duties.

"I didn't want there to be any mishaps, G'Quarn," Loala had explained, "I hope you are not offended."

"No, my Lady Loala," G'Quarn answered, bowing to her, "I am at your service until such time as I die."

"You are our most loyal servant, G'Quarn," Loala praised him, "I wish Arkonn would treat your family a bit better."

"Such is life, my Lady," G'Quarn replied in a resigned manner.

Loala must have felt sorry for G'Quarn and his family, for she arranged to have Ilan's white-spotted brother join them for awhile with his Uncle. Fourteen-year-old Lor'Oko had been sent away to work in the Charisa family mines with his Uncle Goran; and Ilan had missed him almost as much as his mother Ni'Lon had.

When Lor'Oko arrived home, both Ni'Lon and Na'Laq were sobbing with joy. Ilan embraced his brother, who had grown into a very big adolescent indeed.

"Thank G'Quan you have survived your first year in a mine, Lor'Oko," Na'Laq cried.

Uncle Goran, G'Quarn's younger brother, chuckled to himself at the females' overwrought sense of relief.

"I have survived the past ten years in a mine," he called to them in mock-outrage, "Is anyone crying over me? No, I don't think so."

"Oh, Goran!" Na'Laq greeted him, "We are happy to see you, too."

Goran frowned slightly when he saw how badly Na'Laq was shaking. Na'Laq told him not to worry; but after their family supper, he went outside to sit with G'Quarn, Lor'Oko, and Ilan.

"G'Quarn, your mate's illness has become worse, has it not?" Goran said to him, "This is intolerable! The work with the Spoo-worm guts makes some of our people ill. It is the same when we work in the mines—in there, it is very bad for the lungs. The time is coming, my brother, when we must take back what is ours. We cannot allow our children to go through this for the rest of their lives."

"Goran, my brother, I will not allow you to speak of such things around Ilan and Lor'Oko," G'Quarn responded, but Ilan's interest had been piqued.

"Uncle Goran!" he cried, "Are you thinking of joining the Resistance?"

"Quiet, Pouchling!" Goran whispered, "and yes, I have already joined the Resistance. I am undercover at the moment, so don't go yapping to your Centauri friends. G'Quarn, are you willing to be an operative? You don't need to do anything, just let me know of anything that you...might overhear."

"I overhear nothing, Goran," G'Quarn told him, "I will not try to dissuade you from your cause of freedom—I wish that I had enough courage to do as you are doing. I cannot, however, risk the lives of my family members. You know that, my brother! You are young and do not yet have pouchlings. You are in a far better position than I am to fight for our freedom."

"I knew that this would be your response," Goran replied, "But I had to ask you, to give you the opportunity to join us when I saw the state that poor Na'Laq was in...and you look as though you are not far behind her."

"I would like to join, Uncle!" Ilan interjected eagerly, "I can tell you things, if I overhear them. So far, however, the only things that I have overheard are servants' chatter about dishes and spoons."

"No, boy, you are too young," Goran told him firmly, "You must stay here and look after your parents."

Ilan felt disappointed. He knew that he could be a good Freedom Fighter, if they would only give him a chance!

"Soon, Pouchling-nephew of mine," Goran said, taking him by the chin and tussling him fondly, "Soon our Revolution will begin, and you will be part of it."

"Will a revolution mean that there will be more killing, Uncle?" Lor'Oko asked, dejected, "I hate it when everyone dies."

"Lor'Oko!" Goran chided him, "You are almost a man, now. You must develop keener fighting instincts, like your little brother Ilan-Rai'ko. Is that not right, my little Rock-Cat?"

"I'm not a Rock-Cat, Uncle!" Ilan replied, laughing for the first time in a long while.

Lor'Oko hung his head, saddened by his Uncle's admonishment.

"Lor'Oko is like me," G'Quarn noted, "Fighting is not in his heart."

"And Ilan is like me!" Goran crowed, "Fighting for freedom _is_ in his heart! Right, my little Pouchling-Warrior?"

Ilan looked up at his Uncle proudly, feeling a renewed sense of self-confidence. Was it possible to get rid of the Centauris, he wondered, after more than a century of their rule? He began to feel a spark of hope in his Uncle's words... _fighting for freedom is in_ _his heart!_

"And when the day dawns that you come and join us, Ilan," Goran said to him, "You must cast off both your Centauri and your Pouch-name. You will then choose for yourself your adult name—your Warrior's name. I have been in the process of choosing a new name for myself...one that reflects who I truly am, and not what the Centauris believe me to be. They think that I am a slave, but I will teach them differently. I am here to tell you, my dear family, that I am henceforth casting off the name 'Goran' and taking the name 'G'Sten'. This is my first step towards reclaiming our world."

"G'Sten!" Ilan cried, "G'Sten! Excellent choice, Uncle—it makes you sound very strong."

"I honor your new name, young G'Sten," G'Quarn said to him, "but I do warn you to temper your Warrior's spirit with reason and the nobility of the intellect."

"Bah!" scoffed the newly-minted G'Sten, "Reason and intellect are fine, but they will not help us to expel the Centauris from our world. It is time for action now, G'Quarn, not thinking."

"I fear for the future, young ones," G'Quarn murmured, "but I pray that you are right, G'Sten. I pray to G'Quan that we may one day regain our sacred home-world."


	5. The Return of Arkonn

5

 _ **Chapter Five: The Return of Arkonn**_

It had been a good year for Ilan-Raiko. He was considered an excellent servant, now, and had even been put in charge of training new servants to the household. G'Quarn had made a request in writing to Riala Jorrino that his older son Lor'Oko be transferred to working the house duties in order to help his father; and Jorrino had delegated the task of deciding this to his Aunt Loala, who promptly granted the request. Ilan had been overjoyed, for it meant that his older brother was again with him.

Loala had put Lor'Oko in charge of entertaining guests with his singing, dancing, and slapstick routines. Ilan did not like the fact that his brother had been turned into the "House Clown", but Lor'Oko took it all in good humor.

"It's better than mining, brother!" Lor'Oko told him, "and I get plenty of rewards from the dinner guests."

The guests would often shower him with dry fruits and nuts, which he shared with Ilan and the young Nanny-girl in the house, Arel. He teased Ilan about having a crush on Arel, but Ilan denied it. Just because he talked with Arel sometimes did not mean that he was in love with her. It was true that Arel did seem to like him, but Ilan felt that he was not ready for that kind of thing yet. He was still quite young at ten years of age, and he did not think that he wanted a mate until he was older. Nonetheless, he was happier now than at any other time in his life. His mother's health was improving now that she was not working at the Spoo vat, and the family was finally able to spend more time together singing, praying, and telling stories.

The happiness, unfortunately, was not to last. A month after Ilan had turned ten, Riala Arkonn returned to The House in a worse mood than he had been in when he left. The first thing he did when he arrived home was to punch his oldest son Jorrino in the face for having let the Narns "run wild". The second thing he did was to berate his wife mercilessly for fifteen minutes until she ran away and locked herself in her own personal " _escape Arkonn"_ room. The third thing that he did was to confine all Narns to their huts when they were not working; and he increased their work hours from twelve to eighteen hours a day so that they " _would not get into any more mischief"._ They were no longer allowed to have more than two meals a day, and those were to be extremely basic: Spoo and Spoo-water. The Narns were literally breathing, eating, and drinking Spoo all day every day.

It was not long before Riala Arkonn's wrath descended upon Ilan and his family. He ordered Na'Laq back to work, and he insisted that Ilan leave his job as a house servant to go back to the Spoo-pounding floor. When Ilan had asked him why, he had ordered him to be whipped for his impudence.

"I don't like the way you look at me, Ilan," Arkonn snarled at him, "You're too proud...and Narns have absolutely no right to be proud of anything. You're barbarians!"

Ilan had first begun working on the pounding floor when he was just three years old, so the work was nothing new; but he had become accustomed to being treated with a certain amount of respect from Loala and even Jorrino on occasion. The insult of being demoted was what infuriated Ilan, more than the long work days or the whipping that he had received simply for looking at Arkonn the wrong way. The other Narns, however, took perverse pleasure in Ilan-Rai'ko's embarrassment.

"Well, _Master Ilan_ ," one young woman said, "It seems you are not quite the 'Centauri' that you thought you were. Here you are, back with we animals once again...it serves you right for having been so arrogant towards us."

Ilan did not respond to her comment, but instead took his anger out on the Spoo worms. He pounded them to a pulp like a mighty Spoo Executioner; and as he killed them, he imagined each one as being the skull of a Centauri Master. He especially liked to imagine himself killing Riala Arkonn in the middle of some humiliating business, such as sitting constipated on the toilet. His fantasies of revenge against Arkonn became more violent with each passing day, but he told no one about them.

He was especially angry at Arkonn for having ordered his mother back to work just when she was beginning to recover from her illness. As might be expected, Na'Laq's illness returned with a vengeance. G'Quarn was not allowed to care for her, because Arkonn had decided that he should continue in his role as Chief House Servant in charge of the Narns. Ilan's six-year-old brother Ar'ro was trained to be G'Quarn's assistant, but he was very shy and it was difficult for him to perform the role that had been so effortless for Ilan.

Lor'Oko had been sent to the mines once more, but he was soon transferred back to the Charisa Ranch in order to take over Na'Laq's position at the Spoo Vat. Na'Laq would lie next to the Spoo vat and coach Lor'Oko on how to mix and process raw Spoo, while Lor'Oko told Na'Laq humorous stories to take her mind off her dire condition. Loala managed to humor Arkonn into permitting Lor'Oko to come to the house on occasion to take up his role as House Clown. She was hoping to put her brother Arkonn in a better mood so that he would not drink quite so heavily. The young Narn's act was often interrupted, however, when Arkonn decided that he preferred to humiliate Lor'Oko as entertainment for himself and his guests. During these times, he would send for Ilan to come and watch him taunt and pester his beloved older brother. A spark of fiery rage was igniting within the young boy as he watched Lor'Oko being psychologically harassed by Arkonn. Loala would try to put a stop to it, but Arkonn would often slap his sister in the face and throw her out of the room while the Centauri guests laughed uproariously.

"Do you know, White-Spotted One, why you have white spots?" Arkonn would ask Lor'Oko in a drunken stupor, "It is because you are like a white Spoo-worm, wriggling and ugly. But I do not wish to insult the Spoo-worm by comparing it to an inferior Narn!"

Lor'Oko never broke, but instead would joke about himself along with Riala Arkonn, drawing more and more laughs from the Centauri audience.

"Yes, Riala Arkonn," he would say in a deadpan tone, "I am the Spoo-Narn—but I do not wish to further insult the Spoo worm by saying the word 'Narn' after it. What if I say "Narnspoo" instead?"

The Centauris would roar with a silly, childish kind of laughter. As Ilan beheld them, he felt disgusted by their immaturity. Once in a while, Arkonn paused in his assault on Lor'Oko to glance at Ilan. Ilan quickly hung his head, but sometimes he was not quick enough to do so. At those times, Arkonn would become so enraged that he would stalk over to the Narn boy and grab him by the throat.

"How dare you look at me that way, Ilan!" He snarled on one particularly vile night, after the Narns had been working at least twenty-three hours straight, "Who are you to even exist? You are Narn...you are _nothing,_ do you understand?"

Lor'Oko raced over and began to "jolly" Riala Arkonn into letting go of Ilan's throat. He had been schooled all of his life by his mother Ni'Lon in the often-dangerous " _art of jollying a Centauri_ ". He was obliged to walk a very fine line between employing a sense of humor and begging for Ilan's life, but the fifteen-year-old "White-Spot" had been given much practice at it over the years.

"Riala," he said to him as the room grew deathly silent, "Surely you, as great as you are, do not need to choke a child to death? Even if we are just Narnspoo..."

Ilan mercifully did not hear the rest of Lor'Oko's "joke". His head began to swim, and he felt himself losing consciousness as Arkonn's grip around his throat became tighter and tighter. He could not even gasp for breath. Then, as suddenly as he had grabbed Ilan, Arkonn let go. He hurled the boy across the room disdainfully before wiping his hands on his pants, as if the mere act of touching a Narn had sullied his superior skin.

Ilan drew in his breath, gasping painfully. The nervous laughter of the Centauris filled his ears as Lor'Oko squatted beside him, embracing his younger brother tightly before Ni'Lon slipped in and surreptitiously carried Ilan out of the room.


	6. Hot Jhalla

6

 _ **Chapter Six: Hot Jhalla**_

Over the course of the next year, the tensions between Narns and Centauris grew worse. There had been an illegal strike at the Charisa family mine and Arkonn had ordered all of the workers to be shot on Ilan's eleventh birthday. Ilan had cried for days, believing that his Uncle G'Sten was dead.

One day, however, a strange Narn was brought to the Spoo-pounding floor as a slave. He was not much older than Ilan was, and the Narn foreman therefore delegated the task of training him to Ilan. In addition to pounding Spoo-worms, the workers were also used during planting season to plant jhalla seeds so that the Charisa family would have plenty of the green, leafy material needed to make the popular Centauri drink, _hot jhalla._ Although planting the seeds for hours on end was a back-breaking task, Ilan and his new trainee much preferred it to pounding worms all day. At least when they were planting, they could be out of doors for a while instead of being locked up inside the "Spoo Dungeon" as the Narns called it. It also afforded them the opportunity to talk, as the foreman needed to supervise his workers over a larger space and could not be hanging over them quite so much with whip in hand.

"My name is Ni'Bar," the trainee whispered to him after their foreman had left them alone for a while, "I used to work with your Uncle G'Sten and your brother Lor'Oko at the mines. I need to tell you, Ilan-Rai'ko, that _your uncle is alive!_ He and I escaped while they were executing our friends. He sent me here to let you know that he is hiding in a cave nearby to the G'Quan Mountains. The Freedom Fighters are planning a raid on the city of G'kamazad—the one the Centauris call _New_ _Lanoli_. We plan to take back the city, Ilan! G'Sten wishes for you to join him. He says that you have the spirit of a warrior in you, and that you understand what we must do far better than Lor'Oko does. He ordered me to say nothing to your brother, for he believes that it will be necessary for the White Spot to stay at the ranch and become the head of your family."

"G'Sten wishes me to leave my parents and my brothers?" Ilan replied, both flattered and horrified at the same time, "I am honored that he has such faith in me, but...what about G'Quarn and Na'Laq and little Ar'ro? If I leave, Arkonn will take it out on them!"

"That is why Lor'Oko must stay behind," Ni'Bar explained, "He knows how to jolly the Riala, as does his mother Ni'Lon. They are his favorites, and G'Quarn is considered the most loyal Narn servant by _the Riala's_ sister. They will be all right, but you must not say anything to them, do you understand? You and I will run when the time is right."

Ilan felt the fear pouring into his body. How could he leave his own family without telling them where he was going? G'Quarn might understand, but it would break his mother's heart...and she was already so weak. He did not respond to Ni'Bar's comments immediately, but instead took his time to think about it. He wanted to join the Resistance more than anything, but what if it cost his family their lives to do so?

Thankfully, G'Quarn was ordered to help out during the seed-planting season, and so Ilan was given some space to consider the plan without Ni'Bar constantly needling him about it. He treasured the time spent planting with his father, for he feared that his life under G'Quarn's gentle guidance might be drawing to a close. Ilan had no idea how true this fear would turn out to be.

Twelve-year-old Lukkon Charisa had been caught a number of times speaking with G'Quarn and Ilan in the fields, and it had irritated Arkonn no end. G'Quarn had tried valiantly to discourage Lukkon from talking to them, but to no avail. Arkonn finally cut short G'Quarn's planting time and ordered him back to The House to serve. He then put _his own son_ in a prison cell to teach him where he would end up if he continued to associate with Narns in a friendly manner. Lukkon's servant Andon Rino was sent out every day to school him in his cell, and the entire Charisa family was on edge. There had been numerous reports of Centauris being killed in raids by gangs of Narns.

Ilan became afraid for his family and told Ni'Bar that he would not go with him to find his Uncle. Ni'Bar told him that he could wait for Ilan no longer and had snuck off one night.

"If you change your mind, look in the hollow of your family's prayer tree," Ni'Bar had told him the day before he had departed, "there, you will find a map; and it will show you where we are located. Let no one see you take it!"

Ilan had said nothing, but continued to work without even looking at Ni'Bar. He did not want his family to get into trouble because he was seen talking to an escapee.

After Ni'Bar's escape had been discovered, Arkonn came to Ilan in a rage.

"What do you know about your trainee's escape, Ilan?" the Centauri master had yelled, "He was your responsibility, and I shall be holding you personally accountable for his actions."

Arkonn had ordered Ilan to be whipped savagely in front of the other Narns as a warning to them not to allow their fellows to escape. The Narn foreman had been ordered to perform the whipping in order to underline Arkonn's "message".

Ilan returned that night to the family hut, his entire body cut and bloody. Na'Laq had been so upset that Ni'Lon was called in to come and comfort her. Ni'Lon had used some herbs to treat the wounds, but it did not take away Ilan's pain. The worst part about the ordeal was seeing the devastated look in his parents' eyes. He blamed himself for having listened to Ni'Bar.

 _Perhaps,_ he thought, _I should have turned the rotten lizard in._

He then thought about how Ni'Bar and Uncle G'Sten were fighting for their freedom, and he felt confused. He finally broke down one night and confided in his brother Lor'Oko, who begged him not to have anything more to do with G'Sten, Ni'Bar, or their gang.

"But G'Sten is our Uncle, Lor'Oko!" he cried, "He and the other Freedom Fighters are risking their lives while we are sitting here collaborating with the Centauris—we are nothing but kiss-ass loyalists, like Arel and her House-serving family!"

"So what?" Lor'Oko growled, "at least we are alive. What you are doing is dangerous, Little Brother. It could get all of us killed! Promise me you will have no more to do with the Resistance."

Ilan had pouted at Lor'Oko as though he had lost the argument, but he promised his older brother nothing. There came a time, he was beginning to believe, where death was preferable to this kind of torturous existence. He had a terrible feeling that all these little incidents that had been occurring were about to explode in a dreadful way; and, as it turned out, Ilan was absolutely right.

The family had been very concerned about G'Quarn's increasingly shaky hands. Ni'Lon had begged Loala to try and get another servant to do the serving of the meals, but Arkonn had refused her.

"G'Quarn is the most loyal Narn servant we have—is that not what you said, Loala?"

"Yes," Loala had pleaded with her brother, "and he has been with this family for over forty years, Arkonn. That is why I would like to request that Ilan be brought in to serve. He is very good at it, and he can hold the dishes far more easily with his nimble hands than poor old G'Quarn can."

"Are you saying, Loala," Arkonn had asked with a crafty look in his eye, "That G'Quarn is well past his prime and needs to be shot?"

Loala had stopped asking Arkonn for favors on behalf of the Narns after that. It was almost as if Arkonn was anticipating what would happen next, and looking forward to it in a very sadistic manner.

One night, it finally happened. The Master and the Mistress were eating dinner together with the rest of the family, except for Lukkon, who was sitting in a jail cell. Lukkon's mother Nolina was in a very dark, depressed mood, and so the atmosphere in the home had become very gloomy indeed. Arkonn had decided to call Ilan in to help his father after all, to "see if the little bastard is still up to the task". He had insisted, however, that G'Quarn be the one to serve the meals while Ilan was obliged to watch, "in order to see a professional in action" as Arkonn had sarcastically explained. G'Quarn had expertly served the entire meal, in spite of his shaking hands. Ilan stepped in to pour and serve the after-dinner drinks, but he was stopped by Arkonn.

"G'Quarn, I want _you_ to serve the _hot jhalla,"_ the Centauri Riala interjected firmly, "You've been such a loyal servant, after all—and your family members have of course never participated in any form of rebellion, have they?"

Ilan felt himself go numb with terror as his father took a cup of hot jhalla from his son. He brought it very slowly to Mistress Nolina's place at the head of the table. Nolina's face appeared expressionless, as though she had witnessed so many of her husband's sordid cruelties that it no longer registered with her. As G'Quarn began to pour, Arkonn became irate.

"Well, hurry up, G'Quarn! Why must you be so slow?"

G'Quarn's hands began to shake uncontrollably, and Ilan watched in horror as the hot jhalla spilled all over Mistress Nolina's lap. She jumped up, screaming in pain and outrage, as Arkonn laughed gleefully.

"You stupid, stupid Narn!" Nolina screamed bitterly at the old man, "you must be punished for such incompetence."

"My abject apologies, Mistress," G'Quarn said quietly, but it was evidently too late to apologize.

Arkonn summoned the guards to come and bring G'Quarn to the prison block as Ilan stared helplessly, his heart broken into a thousand pieces.


	7. G'Quarn

2

 _ **Chapter Seven: G'Quarn**_

Ilan sat miserably in his family's hut, shaking from head to toe. His mother had screeched a blood-curdling cry to the Universe and had then collapsed, sobbing inconsolably for her mate. Ni'Lon had come over to comfort her as soon as she knew what had happened. Master Arkonn had told her that if she did not quiet Na'Laq immediately that the Narn woman was going to end up like her mate.

Na'Laq finally collapsed into a deep sleep after Ni'Lon gave her a special potion to calm her shattered nerves. Little Ar'ro simply clung to Lor'Oko, squeaking softly.

"This is because you were speaking with that blasted rodent named Ni'Bar," Lor'Oko whispered to Ilan.

Ilan did not respond to his brother, but sat staring ahead of himself, frozen with pain and horror. Lor'Oko thought better of his remark and apologized to Ilan, but he again received no response. The older brother put his arm around Ilan in an attempt to comfort him, and they sat like that well into the night. Ilan could not even think of sleeping, and neither could his two brothers.

As the morning dawned, they received a visit from Lukkon's Aunt Loala. The expression on her face was grim, and it was obvious that she had not slept either. She sat down beside Ni'Lon, holding her hand. Na'Laq was still asleep, and no one wanted to wake her. The boys gathered around the two women, their eyes glazed with terror.

"Boys," Loala murmured softly, "and Ni'Lon. I have some very bad news for you. I think Na'Laq will need to hear this from her own family members, and not from a Centauri. You have all been loyal servants to us over the years, and I felt that I owed it to you to come out here and talk to you directly. I know you must be very angry at my family, but I beseech you to remain calm. I don't want anyone else hurt by my insane brother..."

"Tell us, Loala," Ilan said to her in a surprisingly authoritative manner, "We need to know."

Loala took a deep breath before beginning.

"My dear Narns, it is very, very hard to tell you this, because I love you all so dearly. Arkonn ordered his security men to beat G'Quarn, and to keep beating him until he was dead. G'Quarn was very courageous throughout the ordeal, and he did not fight back at any time. He maintained his dignity throughout, until finally the men stopped. They were then ordered to hang G'Quarn up by his hands to your family prayer tree, the one which sits just outside the servants' settlement. He will be gone very soon, and I needed for you to know. I am so sorry, my friends...I feel ashamed to be Centauri today."

Loala clutched Ni'Lon's hand and departed respectfully from the hut, giving the family time and space to grieve together.


	8. The Prayer Tree

5

 _ **Chapter Eight: The Prayer Tree**_

The past two days had been torturous for the Narn family. Na'Laq had gone with Ni'Lon to the prayer tree to see G'Quarn, but the guard had not given them much time with him before he roughly hauled them away and ordered them to return to their hut. The entire family was under "hut arrest" and was forced to stay indoors unless given permission to go out. The three boys had been escorted to the Spoo-Pounding Floor to work for several hours, but were then ordered to return to the hut because three new workers had arrived and the boys were no longer needed.

Ilan decided that he could no longer live like this. On the third day of G'Quarn's slow execution, he made a plan in his mind to go out to the prayer tree and see his father. Na'Laq had given him strict orders not to do so.

"Ilan, I have been to see your father, and I do not want you to experience what I have in seeing him up on that tree. You are too young for such horrors. Believe me, you do not want to remember him that way."

"Na'Nokai Na'Laq," Ilan said to her sadly, "I have already experienced those horrors you speak of when I saw my father hauled off to prison. I thought that they were only going to incarcerate him—but now I know that they beat him almost to death, and I blame myself for not having tried to stop them."

"Ilan—my dear little Rai'ko—there was nothing you could have done. They have guns and we have only our hearts of honor, like G'Quarn did. Unfortunately, it is not enough to oppose them. You are only an eleven-year-old pouchling, my son—although you have the bravery of a hundred soldiers."

"I may be only eleven years old, Na'Nokai," Ilan addressed his mother using the Narn's maternal title, "but I feel as though I have lived one hundred."

Na'Laq had burst out in sobs, bringing her son close to her and embracing him. Ilan tried to comfort her as best as he could; but he could already see the life slipping out of her, as it was slipping out of his father. He knew that tonight, after the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, he would go out to see his father on the prayer tree. He told no one of his plan, but Lor'Oko could tell that something was up—he knew his little brother all too well to think that he would not attempt to see G'Quarn one last time.

"I went out there last night, Ilan," Lor'Oko whispered to him as Ni'Lon and Na'Laq embraced each other and prayed silently, "There were guards all around. I could not even get near. I prayed my last prayer to G'Quan for our father's spirit and then I left, before they discovered me. There is no point in you risking your life to go—you can just as easily pray for his spirit here in the hut. I tell you, brother, _there is no use in going out_ _there!_ He is probably already dead."

Ilan growled softly at his brother, but other than that he made no reply. Lor'Oko lowered his gaze slightly, as if realizing that there was no point in trying to reason with Ilan—he was determined to do what he felt was necessary.

"I will have to stay here, to look after my Pouch-Mother Ni'Lon, My Brood-Mother Na'Laq and little Ar'ro," Lor'Oko told him, "If you do go out there, stick to the bushes so that you are not seen. May G'Quan go with you, my little brother Ilan-Rai'ko, for I cannot."

Ilan pushed his head up against his older brother to let him know that he was forgiven for having tried to dissuade "Little Brother" from his terrifying task.

Later that night, when the others had fallen asleep, Ilan made his way out to the family prayer tree. He crouched behind the bushes as he went, moving very slowly amongst the shadows so as not to be seen. It took him a long time to move from the hut to their individual family prayer tree. The land behind the homestead held a whole "orchard" of family prayer trees, and it was here that each family buried their deceased loved ones. Ilan knew that he could not afford to get caught, or the family would be denied a proper burial for G'Quarn's body.

By the time that he had come close enough to see G'Quarn's fragile figure suspended by his hands from the tree, it appeared that he was in luck. There was only one guard posted tonight, as they probably thought there was no chance of anyone intervening to save G'Quarn's life at this point.

Ilan decided to use a hunting trick that his father had once taught him to confuse prey: it was the act of throwing one's voice. When they had gone out hunting Rock-Hogs one night, G'Quarn imitated the squeal of a Rock-Hog sow and "threw" the sound nearby to where the boar was rummaging. The boar then came charging out to see where the sow was, and was shot with one of G'Quarn's uncompromisingly well-aimed arrows to the heart.

Ilan had practiced the art of "throwing sound" ever since that forbidden nocturnal hunting trip that he and his father had taken, and he was beginning to get quite good at it. He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself before "throwing" the sound of a boar's squeal as far as he could. He had to do it a number of times, placing it nearer to the Centauri guard one time and farther away the next. The trick worked, and the guard seemed to be confused. He finally took his gun and departed, no doubt thinking of a delicious Rock-Hog meal to bring home to his family.

Ilan took the opportunity to slink quietly over to the tree, where he stood looking at his father's grey face. He was extremely weak, but he was still alive!

"R'Kai G'Quarn!" he called out as softly as he could, "It is I—Ilan, your middle son. I have come, and I will rescue you!"

"No," G'Quarn protested, his voice barely able to whisper.

Ilan scampered up the tree in order to gnaw at the ropes which held G'Quarn to the tree.

"No, Ilan-Rai'ko!" G'Quarn managed to gasp, as authoritatively as he could, "If you cut me down, Riala will come after the whole family!"

"But, R'Kai," Ilan cried, his own voice breaking, "I must save you!"

"No, Ilan," G'Quarn commanded him, "It is too late for me now. But it is not too late for you. Go, now—before the guard realizes that you have deceived him with our little hunting trick..."

The strain of talking to the boy caused G'Quarn to fall into a fit of coughing. Ilan looked around desperately, and threw another "Rock-Hog" sound in the opposite direction of where they were.

"That will keep the guard dancing, R'Kai," Ilan attempted to speak with humor to his father; but he knew that they were both running out of time.

"Go, Ilan!" G'Quarn gasped once more, "Go, and be everything that I was not. Fight for our freedom, my boy...do not spend your life groveling, as I have done. G'Sten was right...loyalty to these Monsters has gotten us nowhere...go...be everything...that...I was not...honor my name...honor...my...name..."

G'Quarn coughed several times before his body convulsed and he was finally still.

"No..." Ilan whimpered, but he knew that he was too late.


	9. A Holy Oath

5

 _ **Chapter Nine: A Holy Oath**_

Loala had managed to arrange a burial for G'Quarn. The family went out to their prayer tree one last time to bury G'Quarn's ashes. Arkonn had thankfully injured himself while stomping around drunk last night, and so he was not able to come out and harass them. The burial was dignified, as G'Quarn had been; but it was short, by necessity. The boys were expected to go out and work in the planting fields today, as the Riala had given strict orders that they not be late. Ilan wondered why Arkonn had to put so much of his energy into making his workers miserable; they would have been more productive had he chosen to behave in a decent way towards them.

Ilan angrily shoved all thoughts of Arkonn Charisa out of his mind. He hated him more than ever, but today was not a time for hatred. It was a time to remember G'Quarn and his gentle wisdom. Each family member shared a special memory of him, and all of them spoke about G'Quarn's love and his quiet, loyal nature. Ilan knew that love and loyalty were qualities which had defined G'Quarn's life, but he could not forget his father's last words of warning to him about not "groveling" as he had done. G'Quarn had _regretted_ his loyalty to the Centauris, and he knew that he could not in all honesty ignore that. When it came time for Ilan to speak, he told them the story of G'Quarn the Rock-Hog Hunter and his wily trick of throwing the "imitation sow's squeal" so that the boar would come out into the open and be killed by the Narn's arrow.

When he had finished his tale, the others looked at him strangely, as if wondering why he had chosen to share this particular episode of his father's life.

"I tell this story so that you will know that R'Kai G'Quarn was more than just a loyal clown for the Centauris to throw around as they pleased," Ilan boomed, injecting as much power as he could into his voice, "He was also a Hunter, as our ancestors were hunters and gatherers—even before they began an agrarian life of farming. I want to remember my father as a strong Hunter, and not as a weak-kneed Centauri collaborator."

As soon as the last two words were out of his mouth, Ilan knew that he was in trouble. His mother Na'Laq, as sick as she was, had nonetheless glared at him in horror as he had uttered the term "Centauri collaborator". Loala was looking at Ilan with sudden fear in her eyes. The Centauri matron had been afforded the honor of attending the burial because she had done so much to help the family of G'Quarn; but now, she backed away, realizing that she was an unwelcome element.

"Please, Loala, stay with us for the prayers," Ni'Lon pleaded with her, "Ilan is still in shock. He is angry at the moment, but it will pass."

Loala looked directly into Ilan's eyes.

"No, Ni'Lon," she said to her long-time friend, "It will not pass. I think we have crossed a line here, and it will not be long before we have to leave Narn."

"We don't blame _you,_ Loala," Na'Laq called after her, before a fit of coughing stopped her from speaking.

Loala Charisa turned to look at them all with tears in her eyes, before hurrying back to The House. Lor'Oko returned them to the proceedings by reading from the Book of G'Quan, after which they all intoned a song of farewell to the spirit of G'Quarn.

As they were carrying Na'Laq back to the hut, she grabbed hold of Ilan's hand tightly and said, "Ilan, how could you say such a thing about your own father? ' _A weak-kneed Centauri collaborator'?_ Shame on you! He was a decent, caring man who never engaged in hatred of any kind towards anyone...no matter how badly they treated him. He had the strength of a thousand of your _wily hunters_!"

Ilan hung his head as they gently laid Na'Laq down on the dirt floor of the hut.

"I'm sorry, Na'Nokai," he murmured to her, "I did not mean to upset you or Loala."

Lor'Oko pulled him away from his Pouch-Mother Na'Laq, leaving Ni'Lon and Ar'ro to care for her.

"She is very, very soul-sick, Ilan," Lor'Oko told him as they went towards the planting fields together, "Do not take what she says to heart. She loves you more than her own life."

"I know," Ilan agreed, "but I had to tell the truth about G'Quarn, Lor'Oko. He told me before he died that loyalty to the Centauri Monsters had gotten us nowhere...he told me that Uncle G'Sten was right and that we should fight for our freedom! He told me not to spend my life groveling like he had done, but to go and be everything that he had not been in his own life of service. I must honor his name, Lor'Oko...I _must_ go and fight for the cause of Narn freedom."

"Ilan," Lor'Oko stopped and grabbed hold of his brother's arms, "I know that R'Kai G'Quarn sometimes talked like that. The Centauris treated him like dirt; and they made him feel ashamed to be a Narn, just as they have done to all of us. Even so, my brother, we cannot resort to violence. Whether he regretted it or not, it was not G'Quarn's way to solve problems by killing others. If you join G'Sten, that is what you will be asked to do, and you will become a slave to hatred. Is that what you want?"

"This has nothing to do with _what I want_ , Elder Brother!" Ilan yelled, "I can no longer sit here and pretend that nothing has changed. G'Quarn was the most loyal servant that the Charisas had, and they killed him like a criminal. What do you suppose that they will do to the rest of us, who are not so loyal? In time Arkonn will kill us all, Lor'Oko, and so will his compatriots! We can stay here and be mowed down, or we can stand up and fight...the choice is ours."

Lor'Oko let go of Ilan, as if realizing that he no longer held the same brotherly voice of authority over him that he once had.

"Don't go yet, Ilan, I beg you," he pleaded, "it will destroy our mother."

"I cannot stay here and watch her fade into nothingness as my father did," Ilan replied, his voice tense with emotion, "You must look after the family now, Lor'Oko. I am sorry that it must be this way...but I will leave at the first opportunity."

Lor'Oko made a low rumbling sound, but spoke no more about the matter. The two brothers spent the day quietly planting jhalla seeds together, as Ilan had done with G'Quarn the week before he was killed by order of Arkonn Charisa.

Ilan stayed on for the next few days in order to give Lor'Oko time to prepare himself for his brother's departure. Meanwhile, Arkonn had recovered from his injury enough to come out and harass the workers. He especially liked to harass Ilan, taunting him about how he was going to end up like his father if he was not careful. It was as if he was trying to drive Ilan to some desperate act that would allow him to execute the boy with impunity. Ilan wished that he would just take out a gun and shoot him, but Arkonn Charisa was not kind enough for an act of mercy such as that: he loved to let people suffer slowly. The more Arkonn needled him about his father's death, the more Ilan's hatred of him grew. On one particular day, when Arkonn's taunting had reached an intolerable level, he thought of Ni'Bar's words to him: " _If you change your mind, look in the hollow of your family's prayer tree. There, you will find a map; and it will show you where we are located."_

That very night, Ilan stole away to the prayer tree once more to collect the map. He gestured his respect to his father's spirit before he left.

"I will honor your name, G'Quarn," he said, "and I will always study the Book of G'Quan as you did...I will never again grovel before Centauris! I pledge a holy oath to you that I will end their rule one day, and tonight I will seek revenge for your murder. I am hereby throwing off my slave-name and choosing a new name for myself, one whose meaning reflects my holy oath to you and to the Narn Prophet G'Quan. From this day onward, I shall be known by the name _**G'Kar.**_ "


	10. Chon Kar

4

 _ **Chapter Ten: Chon Kar**_

The Narn boy once known as Ilan made his way quietly to the armory. It was past midnight, and all was quiet. He was gratified to find that the Charisas were arrogant enough to believe that no Narn would ever dare to go near the hallowed armory. _There was not a single guard present._

"Fools," the newly-named G'Kar said to himself in disgust. He tried the door, but it was very firmly locked. He swore to himself softly. There were no windows on the armory, so he could not simply break in.

He then remembered that Lukkon Charisa had once confided in him that his servant, Andon Rino, kept a gun with him at all times in order to protect his charge. G'Kar had thought nothing of it at the time, but now it seemed like the most important piece of information that he had ever been given. The Charisa House had an alarm system and so he could not steal in unnoticed, but if he was in luck Lukkon would still be staying in his prison cell. If that were so, then Andon Rino would be sleeping nearby his ever-cherished young protégé.

He crept slowly into the prison block and entered the first house of cells. If Arkonn Charisa was as nasty as always, his own son would be in Cell Number One. He tip-toed silently over to the cell, but he was not silent enough. He could hear Lukkon's innocent voice cry out, " _Who's there?"_

"Lukkon!" G'Kar said in a normal, friendly tone of voice, as if it were perfectly legitimate for him to be visiting his friend at this time of the night, "I just wanted to see how you were. I couldn't sleep, knowing that you were in here suffering."

"Ilan!" Lukkon cried, "If Arkonn catches you, he will try to kill you!"

G'Kar chuckled inwardly to himself. _That is the idea, Master Lukkon_ , he thought.

Once he had succeeded in stealing Rino's gun, he would make a noise—perhaps he would fire a shot into the sky—and Arkonn Charisa would come running. When he entered his son's prison block with thoughts of executing whatever Narn he found there, G'Kar would shoot him dead. _No more childish games for the son of G'Quarn!_

He would then run off the property as fast as his legs could carry him and try to find G'Sten's hiding spot with the map that Ni'Bar had left behind. If he was unsuccessful, then he would die—but at least he would go down fighting rather than groveling to the Riala. This was to be his _C_ _hon Kar,_ or Blood Oath, an act of righteous justice which had been described in the Book of G'Quan and which he had decided to take against Arkonn Charisa.

"Lukkon," G'Kar asked, "Where is Andon Rino?"

"He is sleeping in the cell next to mine," Lukkon told him.

He stole quietly into Rino's unlocked cell. Thankfully, the servant was still sleeping. He hoped desperately that he did not wake up, for he did not want to shoot him. If he tried to interfere with the plan, however, he might have no other choice. Ever so slowly, he reached his hand beneath Rino's shirt and around the Centauri's waist...but all he could find were the six tentacles that Centauri males carried, three on either side, for love-making purposes. Rino stirred slightly, and he removed his hand immediately. "G'Kar the Terrible" most certainly did not want to make love to one of these odious creatures!

He groped around in the dark until his hands happened upon the very thing that he was hoping to find. He took the gun and sensed the power within it. He sniffed it gently, and brought it out to study it under one of the prison lights. When he was confident that he understood how it worked, he made his way slowly past Lukkon's cell.

"Ilan!" Lukkon cried, "What are you doing?"

"Quiet, Lukkon!" G'Kar told him, "Please, don't wake anyone up yet. Do you want to be rid of that Monster who rules The House, or not?"

"Rid of?!" Lukkon echoed him, aghast, "Ilan, you can't! He'll torture you for days if..."

"Not if he's dead, Lukkon!" G'Kar replied furiously. He knew that his emotions were raging out of control, and that he had been foolish to reveal his plans to the Centauri boy. Lukkon Charisa was, after all, the Son of the Monster.

"Andon!" Lukkon screamed in terror, "Andon! Ilan is going to kill Arkonn..."

G'Kar felt a panic arising within himself. His earlier confidence was gone. He froze as Andon Rino rushed out of his cell.

"Ilan!" Andon called out to him, "Listen to me. I know you are angry at Arkonn, but this is not the way...G'Quarn would not have wanted this!"

"Don't tell me what G'Quarn would have wanted!" the angry Narn screamed, "You don't know what he would have wanted, because he's dead! You bastards killed him!"

As G'Kar screeched at Rino, his finger pressed against the release button and the weapon suddenly fired at the servant. A ball of energy was released, and Rino clutched his breast as it hit him squarely in the primary of his two hearts.

Lukkon was screaming so loudly now that he was sure to wake the entire ranch's population. Horrified by what he had just done, G'Kar dropped the weapon guiltily, as if he had been playing with a substance and had just discovered that it was poison.

He ran out of the prison house and into the night.


	11. The Watchmen

5

 _ **Chapter Eleven: The Watchmen**_

Months had passed, and G'Kar had not stopped running since he had committed his heinous crime. He had kept to the wild areas, and he had survived only by the hunting and gathering skills that G'Quarn had taught to him. The Centauri officers had been searching for him mainly in the villages and towns, so he had managed to evade them thus far.

As he paused to rest behind a thicket, he finally took the time to consider his recent actions. He felt empty inside. There had been no great feeling of victory as he thought there would be in the killing of his first Centauri. Andon Rino had not been his intended target, and so he had failed miserably in his _Chon Kar_. Not only had he killed his friend's servant, but he had failed to kill the monster who deserved it most.

"I am a stupid, stupid fool," he chastised himself, "How could I have left the gun behind? I just dropped it there for them to examine the fingerprints which will implicate me in the murder. Some warrior I am!"

He hung his head and let out a few muffled sobs before willing himself to stop crying and start thinking like a warrior. _He could no longer afford to be childish!_ As the first rays of sunlight emerged over the horizon, G'Kar once again studied the now-tattered map that Ni'Bar had left him. It had been a long journey to the caves just outside of G'kamazad, and he needed to find the one that his Uncle was staying in. Hundreds of bedraggled nomads lived in these caves, and so he could find the correct one only by following the directions on the map.

He managed to find a few insects to eat before continuing along his way. Here he was with no family, no food, no extra clothing—nothing but his new name. As he hiked onwards, however, he began to feel almost exhilarated. He was in the most dangerous situation that he had ever been in, and yet he was free. He decided to exercise his freedom and climb the most rugged mountain path that he could find so that he could lead any Centauri soldiers who might be pursuing him on a merry chase. He hid in holes and crevices whenever he heard the sound of footsteps and voices, and he let them pass. He no longer feared death, but was fully prepared to face it when the time came. Until then—he would continue to run and hide, run and hide, all the way to Uncle G'Sten's hideout.

" _And when I get there,"_ he said to himself, " _I will help him to storm G'kamazad and drive the Centauris out of it!"_

He knew that he was being silly when he made such an arrogant boast to himself, but it was his arrogance which kept him moving at the moment. If he thought about Lukkon Charisa, and how he had betrayed his friend in the most ruthless of ways, he would not be able to function well enough to go anywhere or do anything. He reminded himself also that it was Lukkon's father who had ordered the slow execution of G'Quarn—G'Kar blamed all of the Charisas for that, because they did nothing to stop it. Lukkon _deserved_ to feel at least a bit of the pain that the Narn family had suffered when their patriarch was so mercilessly killed.

"G'Kar," a voice inside his mind said, "Lukkon was _in prison_ when G'Quarn was killed. Had he known what was happening, he would have intervened..."

"No!" He screamed at himself, "No, he would have been too cowardly to intervene—just like the rest of them!"

He slapped himself across the face to stop his conflicting thoughts and emotions, but they continued to harangue him well into the next night. He tried to sleep in a dark rock crevice, but he could not rest and so he kept going. He was not sure how many hours he had been traveling when he saw flashing lights. He hid behind a boulder, terrified. There were five shadowy figures coming his way! He crouched low against the boulder, frozen with fear. The soldiers would see him here, because there was not enough room to slide under the boulder, nor was there a crevice in which to hide.

The footsteps sounded louder and louder as they drew near to him. Just as they passed the boulder, one of them said in Narn, "Look, there!"

The flashing light was pointed in his direction.

"It's just a boy," one of the Narns called out, "What's your name, my son?"

"G'Kar," he stammered, feeling far too weak and foolish for such a grand name as the one he had recently given himself.

"G'Kar," the Narn responded, "We are The Watchmen. We look for soldiers, and if we find them we kill them."

"You mean...you kill the Centauris?" he asked, realizing that his question must sound ludicrous to them.

"That's right," the Watchman said, "and whose side are you on, young G'Kar? Are you a Loyalist, or a Freedom Fighter?"

"I'm a Freedom Fighter!" G'Kar burst out, relieved to have found the group of people that he was looking for, "and I am seeking my Uncle G'Sten. He said that I could join him in the raid on G'kamazad."

"The raid on _New Lanoli_ has already taken place," the Leader of The Watchmen told him, "But G'Sten is the one who led it, and he has secured a partial victory for us. Soon, the Centauris will leave, and the city will again be called G'kamazad. Uprisings are happening all over the countryside, and we are planning another assault on the Government Legislature. Will you join us?"

"Yes!" cried G'Kar, feigning confidence, "I have already killed one Centauri at the Charisa Spoo Ranch."

The five Narn males laughed at his youthful pride.

"The Spoo Ranch, eh?" the Leader said, putting his arm around G'Kar, "So you are an escaped slave-worker? Well, we definitely have a place for you in our army, O nephew of the great War-Leader, G'Sten!"

G'Kar was not sure if they were mocking G'Sten when they said that, but he supposed it did not matter. He had successfully stumbled upon the G'kamazad Freedom Fighters!

"Can you bring me to G'Sten?" he asked them urgently, "I need to see him—I have sad news from his family."

"Of course," the Leader obliged him, "He will be there when we storm the Legislature...and this time we will be successful. Once we have won that victory, the Centauris' hold on the capital city will be destroyed. Young people like you will grow up under Narn rule—although we will be fighting them for a long time. The Centauris are too prideful to admit that they are being beaten, and so they will attempt to re-assert themselves over and over again. And we will be there to push them back...over, and over. I, G'Sol, pledge this to you, Pouchling G'Kar!"

"Thank you, Leader G'Sol," G'Kar responded politely. He had never heard of a Narn Leader before—every Narn that he had ever known had either been under the thumb of the Centauris or was an outlaw, like G'Sten had become. G'Sol had called his uncle a "War-Leader", however, so it was possible that his stature had grown in the short time that he had been leading raids on the city.

"G'Sol!" one of the men cried, "I hear the sound of footsteps...and I smell the blood of our people on them. It is the Centauri soldiers!"

G'Sol directed them all to hide behind whatever boulders or bushes they could find, and to crouch low. Someone handed G'Kar a crude weapon which looked like an arrow-shooter, together with a few arrows. He supposed that it was better than nothing.

As the soldiers marched up over the hills, G'Sol motioned them to stay back until he gave the order. He waited until they were nearly upon them, and then he shouted, " _Blood!"_

The Narns poked their heads over their hiding spots and aimed their guns. The Centauri soldiers immediately began firing, but not before the Narns shot down several of them. G'Kar aimed his arrow shooter at one of the younger soldiers, who was fumbling with his gun. The arrow struck one of his hearts and he fell. He did not pause to gloat to himself, but quickly re-loaded and fired again and again until he was out of arrows. The surviving soldiers kept up a steady stream of firing, and their guns were unfortunately more powerful than the weapons the Narns were using. Before long, three of the five Narns that G'Kar had encountered were lying on the ground either injured or dead. He snuck over to one of the bodies and snatched its gun. It still had a bit more fire power left in it, and so he quickly shot at the Leader of the Centauri soldiers. The man sustained a shot to his back, and he fell; but not before one of the other soldiers fired at G'Kar and hit him on the arm. He felt himself falling to the ground with a gaping wound. He heard shots in the distance, firing all around him, until finally the darkness of the early morning shadows led him into oblivion.


	12. The Revolution for Justice

6

 _ **Chapter Twelve: The Revolution for Justice**_

G'Kar's eyes opened slowly as he became dimly aware of his surroundings. He attempted to arise, but a pain in his shoulder stopped him and he collapsed back down onto a cot.

"The boy's awake, War-Leader!" someone shouted.

There was the sound of footsteps, and then a familiar round face inserted itself in front of his. G'Kar blinked, somewhat disoriented. Where was he? Surely the face in front of him could not be...

"Uncle G'Sten!" he cried, suddenly recognizing him, "I'm finally here-and you are still alive!"

"Yes, my boy, I am still alive," G'Sten chuckled, "but you very nearly were killed coming here. The soldiers whom you fought were no doubt looking for you. G'Sol tells me you killed a Centauri back at the ranch."

"Yes..." G'Kar replied with a stab of regret, "But I killed the wrong one. Uncle G'Sten, I have some very bad news for you..."

"I know about your father, G'Kar. I have operatives working at the Spoo Ranch, and they sent word to me about what that bastard Arkonn did to the most loyal slave that he has ever possessed. I'm so sorry for your tragic loss, my nephew; but I know your father would be proud of you for joining the Freedom Fighters. Although he was not a warrior himself, he did respect what we were doing on behalf of the freedom of all Narns. And—he would have approved of the new name that you have taken for yourself... _G'Kar!_ I am proud of you, and I will raise you on behalf of my departed pouch-brother. I honor your name, and that of your father."

"Thank you, G'Sten," he answered, moved by his Uncle's words, "but unfortunately I do not think that the rest of the family shares that pride in me. The Centauri that I killed was only a servant, just like we were. I meant to get Arkonn, my Uncle, truly I did! But I panicked, and then everything went wrong."

"It was your first time using a gun, my dear boy," G'Sten comforted him, "don't lose heart. You _did_ manage to seriously injure if not kill a couple of soldiers during G'Sol's little skirmish, so you need not berate yourself...G'Kar, I do have a piece of sad news for _you._ Only a few days ago, one of my operatives sent word to me that your mother Na'Laq has died of her illness. She went quietly, and I am told that her face appeared peaceful as her spirit left her. I believe, as I hope you do, that she has gone to join your father in the world beyond this one...where, as G'Quan tells us, there is no more pain."

G'Kar went into a state of emotional shock. Had he hastened Na'Laq's death by his sordid actions? He recalled her last coherent words to him: " _Ilan, how could you say such a thing about your own father? 'A weak-kneed Centauri collaborator'? Shame on you! He was a decent, caring man who never engaged in hatred of any kind towards anyone...no matter how badly they treated him. He had the strength of a thousand of your wily hunters!"_

As he thought about his description of G'Quarn at the family burial, he felt remorse. Why had he used such hurtful words? He wished that he had considered his mother's feelings before he had opened his big mouth.

His brother Lor'Oko's haunting words came to him next: _"Don't go yet, Ilan, I beg you. It will destroy our mother."_

He suddenly broke down and cried, as G'Sten held him gently.

"It was my fault, G'Sten!" he said in between sobs, "I have betrayed my own family...if I had not left, she would have lived!"

G'Sten held him firmly by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, G'Kar," he told him, "You have _not_ betrayed your family. You have taken a courageous action in coming out here, and you have done so to stop the atrocities that were inflicted upon your friends and family from happening to another generation of Narns. When Ni'Lon sent word to me about what had transpired, she knew that you would blame yourself for Na'Laq's death. She said to tell you that she has been working as an operative for the Freedom Fighters all of her life. She knows the risk involved in such a role! She has never told anyone in her family, including her son Lor'Oko. She wanted to keep them out of the line of fire. But now that you have joined us in _the line of fire,_ it is important that you know. The Centauri woman Loala Charisa has also been cooperating with us in the past few months. She has been functioning as a kind of double agent for the Freedom Fighters—in exchange for safe passage to Centauri Prime for all of her family members, should the Narns come to power."

G'Kar reeled in shock, putting his head back down on the cot again. Ni'Lon, the mother of Lor'Oko—a Freedom Fighter! He had never even considered such a thing from the good-humored matron...and Loala Charisa, a Centauri...was working for _the Narns?!_

"I...I had no idea..." he stammered.

"And, there is one more thing that Ni'Lon wants you to know, G'Kar. She sat with your mother faithfully until she died. Before she passed, however, she asked Ni'Lon to give you a message. She said, ' _Tell Ilan that I will always love him. Tell G'Kar to fight for our freedom...as Hunter G'Quarn would have wanted'."_

G'Kar sat up again, startled. How had Na'Laq known his new name? He had told no one in his family about it except the departed spirit of G'Quarn! Could his father have been speaking to his mother from the Eternal Beyond?

"And so, my boy," G'Sten said to him, shaking him slightly, "When you are sufficiently recovered, you will join us as we re-claim our city?"

"Yes, Uncle G'Sten!" G'Kar murmured. He felt much more peaceful about his parents' deaths than he had a few minutes ago. He knew now that he had their blessings to be a Freedom Fighter, and that gave him much comfort. He still hungered for justice—Arkonn needed to pay for what he had done to them. The rest of the Charisas could leave Narn safely when the time came only because of the great risk that Loala had taken on behalf of the Narns; but he wanted Arkonn Charisa to be put in prison, and he wanted the " _Riala_ " to suffer as his parents had. One day, G'Kar knew that he would have his revenge. Until then, however, there was a battle to be fought, and he would waste no more time second-guessing his actions of the past.

After a few days had passed, G'Kar was again well enough to participate in the training drills which G'Sten was teaching to the new trainees. The Narn Fighters did not have long to learn their skills before they would be storming the Legislature in "New Lanoli", as the Centauris were calling it.

By the time they marched on the city, G'Kar and the other "rookie revolutionaries" had learned how to use a gun effectively and efficiently. Fortunately, he had an advantage over his peers in that he had already participated in a skirmish and had shot down a couple of Centauri soldiers already.

The Narns marched boldly into the city center, and this time no one tried to stop them. The streets were filled with Narns, and there was not a Centauri in sight. The people cheered as the army of Freedom Fighters marched in, and many joined them. Before long, a huge crowd armed with guns, bats, sticks, and arrow-shooters was streaming en masse towards the Centauri Legislature.

The soldiers who were guarding it stared in horror at the crowd, and began firing into it. G'Kar waited until G'Sten gave the word, and then he fired upon the soldiers, just as he had been trained to do over the past few days. He fired, and he fired, and he fired his gun until he felt as though he were becoming one massive fighting machine, together with his fellow Narns. Many of his comrades fell as they stormed the building, shooting Centauris as they gained ground.

By the time the _Revolution for Justice_ was over, many Narns and Centauris lay dead, and the floors of the Legislative building were soaked with the blood of both species. G'Kar had managed to survive, somehow. Perhaps his parents had been watching over him and protecting him; and so, to his amazement, he had lived to see the first re-claiming of their city, G'kamazad. There would be many more battles before they had truly re-claimed their world, and the Centauris would launch many more bombing campaigns; but this was the Narns' first real victory over the Centauri Government, and they were ecstatic.

G'Sten brought his young nephew out to see the cheering crowds of people, and he hoisted the youngster up on his shoulders as he shouted, "Behold, the courage of the Pouchling Warrior, fighting for your freedom! Behold, the Future of Narn!"


	13. Epilogue

6

 _ **Epilogue: The Aftermath of the Second Centauri Occupation of Narn (2261)**_

The old Narn woman hobbled, exhausted, to the door of her tumble-down shack. She looked out the door's window to see fireworks in the skies. Far off, she could hear the sound of Narns crying victory. It had been a very long time since she had heard that kind of revolutionary fervor. She looked out over what was left of the city of G'kamazad. The governmental area of the city that had housed first the Centauri Legislature and then the Council Chambers of the Kha'ri, the ruling body of Narn, had been entirely wiped out by the Centauri Mass Drivers.

After having enjoyed nearly fifty years of unprecedented power in the galaxy, the Narn Regime had fallen prey to Centauri Prime once again.

"Ah, how the wheel turns," she cackled to herself as she sipped her mug of sandweed tea, "Just three short years ago, our Narn forces were conquering other peoples' worlds and playing ' _Master'_ to them just as the Centauris did to us. And now, by G'Quan, we have paid for it...just as the Centauris did during the First Occupation of Narn. But could justice not have ravaged us by the hand of some species other than the Centauri?"

It somehow did not seem fair to Ni'Lon. The Centauris had already had their way with the Narns for over one hundred years! But that clearly had not been enough. No, the "Broom-Heads" had to come in once again, using their blasted asteroid-bombs to sweep Narn clean of its hard-won freedoms. The past two years, from 2259 up until today, had been spent not only under slavery to Centauri Prime; but also under horrific environmental conditions caused by the merciless use of the Mass Drivers, which killed millions and left the surviving planetary population of Narn choking under a cloud of dust and debris.

" _Still,"_ she thought, " _we have many survivors! We are like a bug underfoot which will not_ _be crushed no matter how hard it is stomped upon. The Universe must hate us so much that it refuses to take any more of us into the Eternal Beyond!"_

Her thinking process was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter, Fool!" she called, "Who knocks at the door of a shack as we sit amidst ruins?"

"It is I, Ni'Lon," a familiar voice called.

Ni'Lon whirled around. _It was G'Kar!_ He was half-starved, had wounds all over his body, and his eye was missing; but he was alive.

"Oh!" she called, "My G'Kar-Rai'ko! Na'Laq's oldest boy...now an old man. By G'Quan, how time flies by! Sit down, Fellow Revolutionary, and share a pot of sandweed tea with me. I have only a few stale _silsop_ biscuits for you to munch on, I'm afraid. I am sorry that I have no chair to offer you, but only a dusty crate to plant your weary ass upon. Come, tell me the tale of how you managed to save Narn this time. I am told you suffered greatly for us, and that you made a crafty deal with the Centauri government—the assassination of their mad Monster-Emperor in exchange for the freedom of Narn! Is that true, or is it all just a silly myth? Have the Centauris really left our world—for good?"

"Yes, Ni'Lon," G'Kar responded, his voice cracking, "Emperor Cartagia is dead. It is a very long story, and I will tell it to you one day—but not today. I am hungry not only for rest, tea, and _silsop_ , but also for your company."

The two old Brood members drank tea, ate stale _silsop_ biscuits with mud-beetle spread, and chatted about the old days. When the conversation drifted to Ni'Lon's son Lor'Oko, she looked at G'Kar with questioning eyes.

"I know G'Sten died fighting in the Narn-Centauri war, my Brood-son," Ni'Lon said, "But what of my white-spotted son, the boy-of-my-heart? Is it true that he is dead, G'Kar?"

"Ni'Kar was reputed to be dead, Ni'Lon, but I have good news for you: he lives still! He managed to make it to one of our old colony worlds named Triar. The Centauris took it over for a while, and they tortured him as they have tortured me. But...by G'Quan, your Ni'Kar-Lor'Oko survived! He escaped with some of his family members to Babylon 5, the space station where I found sanctuary during the Occupation. He is now back on Triar, and is married to a Human female named Valene Rogan. He has changed his own name—again!—this time to Nicholas Rogan, to honor his new wife. It is an Earth name, you see."

Ni'Lon cried to the skies in gratitude for the survival of her great big white-spotted son, _Lor'Oko-Ni'Kar-Nicholas-Rogan._

"And you, G'Kar," Ni'Lon said to him after she had finished giving thanks to the dust-filled sky, "they say you were in prison on Centauri Prime for a long while, but that _you_ survived! I can see by your wounds and that bloody patch on your eye that they were not kind to you. I will get your younger brother, Healer Ahn'Kar, to tend to them and clean up your eye socket when he returns from foraging for insects. There is not much else to eat on this ball of dirt, I'm afraid—many of our animals have died. But never mind! If the Centauris are gone, we will re-build, as we always do after our world is devastated. A fresh start, my Brood-Boy."

"And I am delighted to hear that my little brother Ahn'Kar-Ar'ro has survived!" G'Kar responded, "That is good news, Ni'Lon!"

"Yes, all three of the 'Kar-Boys' have lived to spit in the eye of Destruction, one more time! Na'Laq, G'Quarn and I raised you well."

The two of them remained silent for a while after that, each holding memories of their treasured family members. After a long while, Ni'Lon spoke.

"G'Kar," she said, "There is something that I have always neglected to tell you, because I thought it would upset you in your younger years. In your older years, I forgot all about it; but now I want to be honest with you about this thing I said a long time ago."

"Oh, Ni'Lon, I doubt very much if it matters now," replied G'Kar softly, "But tell it to me if it makes you feel better."

"Do you remember what G'Sten told you just after you learned about Na'Laq's death?"

"Yes," G'Kar responded, "I will never forget it. He gave me a message from my mother, which had been relayed by you. Na'Laq said before she died, ' _Tell Ilan that I will always love him. Tell G'Kar to fight for our freedom...as Hunter G'Quarn would have wanted'._ Those words comforted me greatly while I was grieving her loss...to know that she approved of my becoming a Freedom Fighter. _"_

"Yes," Ni'Lon told him, "But you see, she didn't really approve. I told you half a truth and half a lie. She did say ' _Tell Ilan that I will always love him',_ but I added the second half, the bit about ' _Tell G'Kar to fight for our freedom...as Hunter G'Quarn would have wanted'._ I felt that at the time, you needed to hear approving words from your mother. So I added it. _"_

"Oh," G'Kar answered in a flat tone of voice. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "I always wondered how she had known my adult name of 'G'Kar'. I thought that maybe G'Quarn communicated it to her from the spirit world."

"No. I communicated it on her behalf from our world...but I thought it would be good to tell you that before I died. I knew your chosen name from G'Sten's messages, you see."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," G'Kar said with a sigh, "I am just so glad that Arkonn never caught you in the act of being an operative for the Resistance."

"Yes...you never did get Arkonn, did you, G'Kar? He went off with the rest of his family to Centauri Prime after it became evident that they could no longer stay on Narn. They took that little girl and her family with them...the one you were so fond of...Arel, wasn't it? I have always missed her, Loala, Mella, Lukkon...and, of course, Andon Rino."

"My biggest regret from that period of my life is that I killed Rino instead of Arkonn. I have always wished that it was the other way around. At any rate, I've lost my desire for Chon Kars, even against Arkonn Charisa. I will be returning to Babylon 5, Ni'Lon, once I have seen to all of my family members on Narn. I have had enough of killing and bloodshed."

"Ah, how the wheel turns," Ni'Lon commented philosophically, "and now, here you are, full circle. You have returned to G'Quarn's way of thinking, haven't you? I thought I sensed a change in you, G'Kar."

G'Kar bobbed his head slightly, but said no more. The two of them looked out over the devastated landscape, and held each other's hand.


End file.
